Wu-Tang Clan Announce Another New Album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin

Only one copy will be produced

In July, Wu-Tang Clan will release a new album, A Better Tomorrow, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the group's debut. But Forbes reports that they're also set to release another LP, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, with a caveat: They're just making one copy of the double album, which was recorded in secret over the last few years.

The album, which features the group's original members, will be housed inside an engraved silver-and-nickel box created by British-Moroccan artist Yahya. According to RZA and producer Tarik "Cilvaringz" Azzougarh, the plan is to tour it through museums, galleries and festivals, where visitors will be charged a price to listen to the 128-minute, 31 song album on headphones provided by the venue. (Rigorous security checks will discourage the possibility of any illegal recording.)

"We’re about to put out a piece of art like nobody else has done in the history of [modern] music," RZA said in an interview with Forbes. "We’re making a single-sale collector’s item. This is like somebody having the scepter of an Egyptian king." After the tour is over, the group will make the album available for purchase for a price "in the millions."

The project dates back to 1997, when Cilvaringz hopped on stage during a Wu-Tang show in Amsterdam. From there, he maintained a correspondence with RZA and eventually broached the idea of producing a new album in the late 2000s. "It took a long time," Cilvaringz said to Forbes. "After five years, I’m sitting here and I’m like, 'Am I really going to release this record and see it die after a week?'" He and RZA came up with the concept for the album's release, which is still in the planning stages as no exhibition dates have been confirmed.

Regardless of how it turns out—Cilvaringz acknowledges in the interview that the whole thing could turn into a bust—you could never accuse Wu-Tang for lack of ambition.